Fuxing Park
Formerly a private estate in the French Concession, Fuxing Park was purchased by foreign residents and opened to the French public on July 14, 1909. It was popularly known as French Park, styled after your typical Parisian city park with wide, tree-lined walks and flower beds. Today, this is one of the city’s most popular parks, home to a number of restaurants and nightclubs, as well as to pleasant fountains, a children’s playground with a carousel and bumper cars, a rose garden to the east, 120 species of trees, and, near the north entrance, a statue of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel in front of which Chinese couples often practice ballroom dancing.

Yuyuan Gardens and Bazaar
The delightful Yuyuan Gardens took 18 years (1559-77) to create, only to be ransacked during the Opium War in 1842. The gardens have been restored and are worth visiting to see a fine example of Ming garden design. The bazaar is a wonderland of tasty snacks and souvenirs. Things to look out for include the Exquisite Jade Rock, which was destined for the imperial court in Beijing until the boat sank outside Shanghai, and the Hall of Heralding Spring (Dianchun Tang), which in 1853 was the headquarters of the Small Swords Society (perhaps one reason why the gardens were spared revolutionary violence in the 1960s). Note also the beautiful stage, with its gilded carved ceiling and excellent acoustics. The two shiny pavilions in the eastern corner were added in 2003. Next to the entrance to the Yuyuan Gardens is the Mid-Lake Pavilion Teahouse (Huxinting), once part of the gardens and now one of the most famous teahouses in China, visited by Queen Elizabeth II and Bill Clinton among others. The zig-zag causeway is there to thwart spirits, who can only travel in straight lines, and trap tourists. Buy a packet of fish food and enjoy the sight of dozens of thrashing koi.